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Transylvania 6-5000 (1963 cartoon)
Transylvania 6-5000 is a 1963 Warner Bros. short animated film which stars the famous rabbit character Bugs Bunny. It was directed by Chuck Jones and features the voices of Mel Blanc as Bugs, Ben Frommer as Count Bloodcount and Julie Bennett as the two-headed vulture. In the cartoon, Bugs travels to Transylvania and gets the better of a vampire. A significant amount of footage from Transylvania 6-5000 also appears in Bugs Bunny's Howl-oween Special, a 1978 Halloween TV special. The cartoon's title is a punning reference to the piece of music "Pennsylvania 6-5000", first recorded by Glenn Miller in 1940. The same title was later used for a live-action comedy movie released in 1985. Plot Bugs Bunny wants to visit Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. As usual, he travels by burrowing underground and somehow finds himself in Transylvania instead. When he emerges from the ground, Bugs asks a two-headed female vulture (with one head named Agatha and one head named Emily) for directions. It is clear from Agatha and Emily's comments to each other that they would like to eat the rabbit but Bugs is able to slip away quietly. Searching for a telephone to call his travel agent, Bugs enters a creepy looking castle, which he mistakes for a motel. Someone dressed in black with a cape and a top hat approaches Bugs. The rabbit assumes that he is the head waiter but he introduces himself as Count Bloodcount. The Count tells Bugs that he will show him to a telephone but instead he takes him to a bedroom. He tells the rabbit that he can telephone in the morning and should rest now because rest "is good for the blood". Having difficulty getting to sleep, Bugs looks for something to read. He finds a book about magic words and phrases and begins reading aloud from it. While Bugs is reading, Count Bloodcount appears behind his bed to attack him. Before the Count can strike, Bugs says the word "abracadabra" which instantly changes the Count into a bat. Bugs sees the bat, mistakes it for a large mosquito and hits it with a fly swatter. As the bat is flying out of the bedroom window, Bugs reads the word "hocus pocus". Count Bloodcount returns to his humanoid form and falls from a great height. Feeling hungry, Bugs leaves his room and looks for the restaurant. He begins to hum the tune of "It's Magic", singing the words "abracadabra" and "hocus pocus", causing Count Bloodcount to change into a bat again and subsequently to take on human form again and fall to the floor once more. The Count appears in front of Bugs and reveals that he is a vampire. Unperturbed, Bugs says the magic word "abaracadabra" and turns into a (baseball) umpire. The Count shows his power by changing himself into a bat. Bugs says the magic word again, changes into a baseball bat and uses himself to hit Count Bloodcount. The Count, still in the form of a bat, falls into a crack between the flagstones on the floor. Taking on human shape again, the Count picks up a flagstone, intending to use it to crush the rabbit. Before the Count can throw the stone, Bugs says "abracadabra". The Count changes back into a bat, the weight of the stone is too much for him and he falls beneath the floor once more. The Count continues to attempt to crush the rabbit with the stone but Bugs prevents it by using the magic words each time. Bugs begins to experiment by using different magic words. The words "abraca-pocus" and "hocus-cadabra" change the Count into a part-human part-bat creature. The words "Newport News" change him into the Looney Tunes witch character Witch Hazel. The words "Walla Walla Washington" change him into a male two-headed vulture. Bugs summons the Agatha and Emily vulture, perched outside one of the castle's windows. The female two-headed vulture is instantly smitten with the male one but the Count as the vulture is horrified. The Count flies away, with Agatha and Emily in hot pursuit. Bugs finds a telephone in the castle, inside a coffin. He speaks to the operator and asks to be connected to his travel agent in Perth Amboy, USA. As he waits to be connected, Bugs once again hums "It's Magic" and sings the word "abraca-pocus". The magic words cause Bugs' ears to change into two bat's wings. Bugs tells the operator to cancel the call, saying, "I think I'll fly home instead". As the cartoon ends, Bugs flies out of the window and into the nighttime sky. External links *''Transylvania 6-5000'' on the Internet Movie Database. *[http://www.allmovie.com/movie/transylvania-6-5000-v137499 Transylvania 6-5000 on AllMovie.] *[http://www.bcdb.com/cartoon/5243-Transylvania_6-5000.html Transylvania 6-5000 on the Big Cartoon Database.] Category:Movies Category:Vampires